IHSAA News Release: October 27, 2011

IHSAA News Release

October 27, 2011

THREE TOP-RANKED TEAMS HEADLINE SOCCER STATE FINALS
Three top-ranked teams will be chasing state championships this Saturday as the 18th Annual IHSAA Soccer Tournaments culminate at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis.

This year’s state tournament has been conducted in a two separate classes for the first time evolving from the single class format of the previous 17 years. The Class A girls final will begin the day at 10:30 am ET, followed by Class A boys at 1 pm, 2A girls at 3:30 pm and the 2A boys match at 6 pm. All four matches will be streamed live at IHSAAtv.org.

Two of the four championship matches pit No. 1 against No. 2 in their respective poll with a third featuring the No. 1 and No. 5 teams.

Class 2A No. 1 Carmel (21-0-1) returns to the state finals after a seven year absence and will face No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern (20-0-2). The Greyhounds, 8-1 in state championship matches, hope to land the school’s ninth girls soccer crown, all of which have come under long-time coach Frank Dixon. Carmel faced a top 15 team in every match of the tournament including a 3-2 victory over No. 3 Evansville Memorial in the semi-state.

Hamilton Southeastern has successfully navigated the tournament waters to its first state championship appearance. The Royals knocked out No. 4 Noblesville in its sectional opener and eliminated No. 8 South Bend St. Joseph’s, the defending state champion, last Saturday night. This will be the first meeting between the two Hamilton County rivals this season.

Top-ranked in Class A, the Fort Wayne Canterbury boys team (17-1-4) returns to the state finals for the first time since 2006. They’ll face No. 2 Evansville Mater Dei (17-5-1). Greg Mauch, who also serves as the president of the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association, has guided the Canterbury to its sixth championship match appearance having won it all three times (1997, 1998, 2001). Canterbury defeated No. 5 Guerin Catholic, 2-0, and No. 3 Bethany Christian, 1-0, in the semi-state.

Mater Dei survived a pair of one goal matches to win its first regional championship this season and breezed through its semi-state encounters. Three of its five losses came to out-of-state competition.

The Providence girls team (20-0-2) is the third top-ranked team on display and joins Carmel and Hamilton Southeastern as the only unbeaten teams remaining. The Pioneers will face No. 5 Mishawaka Marian (18-2-1) in Saturday’s opening final. Providence boasts the state’s leading scorer in senior forward Casey Marlin (36 goals) while Marian counters with junior forward Gabby Feldman (32 goals). Feldman and the Knights will have their work cut out trying to penetrate a Providence defense that hasn’t allowed a goal in 11 straight matches. Both teams are making their first appearance in the state finals.

The finale on Saturday night pits a pair of teams – No. 16 Columbus North (18-2-2) and Crown Point (15-6-2) who have defied the odds to this point and one will make off with its first soccer state championship trophy in school history. Columbus North will make its second state finals appearance in three years and third overall but weren’t able to advance beyond the semifinals round in either of its two previous visits. The Bull Dogs upset two higher ranked teams in the semi-state in No. 12 Center Grove and No. 6 Avon.

Crown Point will make its first trip to Kuntz Stadium riding the momentum of winning its first regional on Oct. 15. These Bulldogs avenged a pair of regular season setbacks at the regional including a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Lake Central, the defending state champion. CP survived two more penalty kick shootouts at the semi-state including a win over No. 5 Warsaw, a 2010 state finalist, on its home field.

You can get to know the four girls teams here and the four boys teams here.

State Finals Media Credentials – The 2011-12 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential issued previously for the girls golf and boys tennis state finals is good for admission. For those outlets without credentials and planning to cover the event, please apply by e-mailing your request (with name of individual applying) to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille (jwille@ihsaa.org). E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. Approved requests will be available for pickup at the Kuntz Stadium Ticket Building.

Media Services – IHSAA Communications Director Chris Kaufman along with Assistant Toni Polizzi will be on site to assist you in your coverage on Saturday. Official programs will be available along with computer box scores following each championship match. Interviews may be conducted with players and coaches on the sidelines following the semifinals and after the award ceremonies in the evening. Electrical power, phone lines and wireless access will be available in the press box for filing stories and photographs.

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NORTH CENTRAL’S ZEINASELLASSIE CHASING THIRD CROSS COUNTRY HONOR
The name Futsum Zeinasellassie will certainly be one to remember if all goes as expected during the IHSAA Cross Country State Finals on Saturday.

The North Central (Indianapolis) senior is the heavy favorite to win his third consecutive state title at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute. The boys race begins at 1 pm ET followed by the girls race at 1:45 pm.

If he’s the first to cross the finish line he would become just the third three-time state champion in the 66-year history of the event. John Stayton of Anderson won the first three races in 1946, 1947 and 1948 while Franklin Central’s Aaron Fisher won three straight in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Besides Zeinasellassie, four others who finished in last year’s top 10 return. Jason Crist of Franklin Central was last year’s state runner-up. He finished fourth behind Zeinasellassie last week at the Carmel Semi-State. Union County’s Tate Schienbein finished fifth a year ago and was fifth overall on Saturday. Columbus North’s Michael Sublette was ninth in 2010 but grabbed third place last Saturday at Carmel and LaPorte’s Mitchell Hubner was 10th in last year’s state finals. He won the semi-state crown at New Prairie.

Two others to keep an eye on after winning semi-state races include Caleb Kerr of Evansville North who won at Brown County and Joey Zielinski of South Bend St. Joseph’s, the winner at New Haven.

Columbus North, the two-time defending state champion, is also the top-ranked team having won the Carmel Semi-State championship. No team has won three consecutive titles since Carmel won four in a row from 1976-79. The record for most consecutive was established by Anderson which won the first seven state titles from 1946-1952.

No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern placed as the runner-up to Columbus North last Saturday. No. 3 North Harrison was the Brown County champion and No. 4 Mishawaka won the New Haven crown.

With no returning individual state champions in the girls race, the door is wide open for a new winner.

Four young ladies who finished in the top 10 last year are back to take another shot. Carmel’s Sarah Bennett finished third last year and is coming off the same showing at the semi-state. Noblesville’s Helen Willman, Carmel’s Renee Wellman and Indianapolis Bishop Chatard’s Mary Davis finished 7-8-9 in the 2010 state finals. Wellman won the Carmel Semi-State race with Willman ending fifth and Davis seventh.

Others to win their respective semi-state include Chanli Mundy of Terre Haute North at Brown County, Ashley Erba of Warsaw at New Haven, and Bobbie Burgess of West Lafayette, the winner at New Prairie.

Top-ranked Carmel is the defending state champion and looking for its record 13th overall crown in the sport. The Greyhounds easily outpaced No. 2 Columbus North at the semi-state by an 89 point margin. No. 3 West Lafayette won at New Prairie and No. 4 Carroll (Fort Wayne) won the New Haven championship.

Also of note, the Lawrence Central boys team has qualified for the state meet for the first time. The Bears are credited with a 1946 team appearance when schools from all over the state simply showed up to compete in the state championship race. When more teams than expected participated, the IHSAA installed sectionals for 1947 with qualifying for the state meet becoming the norm.

Eastern (Greentown) and Hamilton Southeastern will be fielding a full girls team for the first time at the state meet as will the Whitko boys.

A video stream from the Cross Country State Finals will be available at the IHSAA website at ihsaa.org.

State Finals Media Credentials – The 2011-12 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential issued previously for the girls golf and boys tennis state finals is good for admission. For those outlets without credentials and planning to cover the cross country state meet, please apply by e-mailing your request (with name of individual applying) to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille (jwille@ihsaa.org). E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. Approved requests will be available for pickup at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center adjacent to the course beginning at 11 am ET. Please have media identification available and enter the grounds using the east gate nearest the Sports Center.

Media Services – IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille will be on site to assist in your coverage of this year’s state finals. Official programs will be available at the Family Center along with computer-generated results following the races. Electrical power, phone lines and wireless access will be available in the Wabash Valley Sports Center adjacent to the course for filing stories and photographs. Please be aware that the building will close promptly at 6:30 pm ET.

Former Boys State Champions in the Field
Futsum Zeinasellassie, 11, North Central (Indianapolis) (2009, 2010).

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SHERIDAN FOOTBALL COACH ON THE VERGE OF HISTORIC WIN
Long-time Sheridan football coach Larry “Bud” Wright is on the verge of an historic victory on Friday night.

If his Blackhawks (7-3) defeat visiting Lapel (2-8) in the Class A, Sectional 36 semifinals, Wright will have earned his 369th career victory which would make him the all-time leader among Indiana high school football coaches. He is currently tied with Jasper’s Jerry Brewer at 368. He is in his 46th year at the rural Hamilton County school and 47th year as a head coach. He leads all Indiana coaches with nine state titles as well as two runner-up finishes.

Kyle Neddenriep had a very interesting article about Wright in the Oct. 21, 2011 Indianapolis Star prior to Wright tying Brewer.

Indiana High School Football Coaching Wins Leaders

Name

Primary school

Record

1. Jerry Brewer

Jasper

368-105-2

1. Bud Wright*

Sheridan

368-160-2

3. Chris Geesman

Penn

339-66-3

4. Bob Clayton*

Heritage Hills

319-73

5. Don Howell

Hobart

314-73-2

6. Dick Dullaghan

Ben Davis

312-59

7. Russ Radtke*

Griffith

292-116

8. Bill Sharpe

Jimtown

288-54

9. Leland Etzler

Woodlan

287-117

10. Jim Belden

Carmel

283-81-2

*-active

Source: Indiana Football Coaches Association website.

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STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
The following lists of statistical leaders are compiled by VarVee.com, the IHSAA’s official statistics gathering partner. The IHSAA encourages each of its member schools to participate by registering at www.varvee.com and updating statistics by each Monday through the end of the season.

NEWS & NOTES FROM AROUND THE STATEHave an interesting note? A conference or school record, coaching milestone or something else of interest? Please e-mail IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille at jwille@ihsaa.org for consideration.

Northwestern High School football coach John Hendryx recorded his 150th career victory when his Tigers upset Class 3A No. 3 Hamilton Heights, 33-27, in a Mid-Indiana Conference game on Sept. 30. He is currently 153-64 in 19 years and 40-18 in five years at Northwestern.

The Indiana School for the Deaf captured the school’s very first sectional championship in any sport last Saturday when the Deaf Hoosiers (36-3) defeated University in four games to capture the Class A, Sectional 58 volleyball championship. The team fell at Clay City in three games in its first regional appearance on Tuesday evening.

Fort Wayne Bishop Luers quarterback James Knapke completed 9 of 14 passes for 199 yards and 3 TDs against Elwood last week to become the new school and conference leader in passing yards with 5,326 yards. Knapke, a 6-3 senior who will play at Bowling Green next season, surpassed Kyle Lindsay (5,271), son of Luers coach Matt and Knapke’s quarterback coach. In a Sept. 23 victory over Concordia, Knapke became the school and conference career leader in TD passes with 59. Heading into the sectional semifinal game, he has a career total of 65.

Karl T. Knerr, a 1974 graduate of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, has been named head boys and girls track coach at his alma mater. Knerr has been the head boys cross country at Brebeuf since 1991, recently completing his 21st season in that position. He assumed head coach duties for the Brebeuf Girls Cross Country Team in 2005.

New Palestine girls soccer coach Dana Merrick won his 249th game in 26 years of coaching soccer -- 1985-01 as a boys coach, 2003-present as a girls coach -- in the regional semifinal. The Dragons lost the regional final to Perry Meridian to fall one shy of the milestone victory. He has told the team and local media he plans to retire from coaching at the end of this season.

Elwood sophomore running back Sammy Mireles, shattered the school record for rushing yards in a game in a 27-21 win over Oak Hill on Oct. 7. He finished with 429 yards on 50 carries. Through 10 games this season, he owns a 207.1 yards per game average with 16 TD.

Brad Morgan of Harrison (West Lafayette) added his name to the record book with a 99 yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation in the Raiders’ game against Brownsburg on Sept. 30. Morgan finished with 124 yards on 13 carries and threw for 17 as well.

New Palestine won its 20th straight Hoosier Heritage Conference game with its 27-0 victory over Mt. Vernon, breaking a conference record set by Hamilton Southeastern from 1994-97. The streak started with the Dragons' second conference game of the 2009 season against Pendleton Heights, and has continued ever since. Coach Tim Able's teams are 20-1 in HHC play. Connor Simmons passed for 178 yards and set the school single-season passing record with 2,144 yards, breaking an 18-year-old mark set by Matt Rodgers. Simmons is closing in on school records for career TDs, single-season TDs and single-season/career completions. Brandon Collins and Josh Penley have both broken the single-season receiving record.